Disk cultivator or plow



June 7, 1932 .1. P. SEAHOLM DISK CULTIVATOR OR PLOW Filed Oct. 21, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 7, 1932. J. P. sEAHoLM DISK CULTIVATOR OR PLOW Filed OCT.. 2l, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 7, 1932. 1. P. sEAHoLM DISK CULTIVATOR OR PLOW Filed oct. 21, 1929 June 7, 1932. J. P. SEAHOLM DISK CULTIVATOR OR PLOW 'Filed oct. 21, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Illlm Patented June 7, 1932 Unirse STATES PAT vich JOHN P. sEenoLi/r, or mornin, rumors, ASSIGNOR rro MImrEAPoMs-aronrnn POWER IMrLE-MENT COMPANY, or Morane, rLLmoIs, a oonronafron or DELAWARE DISK CULTIVATOR R PLOW' Application led October 21, 1929. Serial No. 401,081. 3f

rlhis invention relates to a disk cultivator or plow of the type used for preparing seed beds for agricultural crops. Gultivators or j plows of this general type are shown, for

example, in the patent to Grant No. 853,510,

the present invention relating 'to certain improvements in this type ot implement.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved disk cultivator or plow "l of the type in which all the disks are connected so as to revolve together.

A more particular object is to provide an improved combinationV and arrangement of parts in an implement of this character 'that will -eliminate clogging, place the weight of the implementon the cutting vdisks to `assist them in penetrating, and. at the same time, reduce the draft required to 'pull the implement.

Another obj-ect is to provide, in an implement of the type described, an improved mounting for the rear furrow `wheel to enable it to be adjusted to 4its most e''e'ctlve position for the diil'erent angles of operation of the plow.

A further object is to provide an improved disk cultivatcr and plow that .may be readily adjusted to vary thewidth of cut of the plow.

Other objects and advantages ofY the in- Y' 30 vention will appear lfrom the lspecification and drawings. Y l

An embodiment ot the invent-ion is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of the improved disk plow;

Fig. 2 is a plan view -of the plow;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a perspective -ot 'the rear furrow wheel and its adjusting connections;

5 is a section through the adjusting ccnnecti ons tor the .rear furrow wheel illustrated in 4.

The cultivator has a trame including fa main beam (Figs. 1 and A2) in the form of an angle iron bar .provided with .a plurality of holes 11 for receiving bolts 12 by means of which arms 13 are rigidly fastened to the beam. The arms 13 support bearings 14 carrying a disk shaft 15 to which the disks 16 are fastened. The disk shaft 15 is Vin three sections which are disconnectible at the points 17 and 18 but the sections are coupled together securely so that all the disks 16 `rotate together 'as if rigidly connected to a single.y disk shaft. p A series of disk cleaning arms 19 are attached to the beam 10, these arms being similar in shape to the varms 13. It should be noted that the arms 13 and 19 occupy only a very small lateral space between the disks, towit, about Vthree-fourths of an inch. 'The arms project to the rear of beam 10 and they are inclined downward and 'to the right as viewed in Fig. 2, the lower end of each arm being nearer the tace of the disk y. than any other part o the arm. This positioning oi the arms eliminates wedgepockets between thedisks and their supports and thus reduces any tendency for trash to accumulate or clog betweenthe disks and their supports. y;

'Connected tothe ends of the beam 1I() and 70 converging forward therefrom rare two frame `members "20 and 21 which are connected together at their iront ends by a plate 22 and suitably braced by a cross vbrace 23 extendingr.-`

.rom the 'beam 1'0 to the trame member 20.?75 The plow frame is supported by three wh-eels,

'the front furrow wheel 24, the rear furrow wheel 25 and the land wheel 26.

The iront furrow wheel 24: is journaled on an inclined portion of an aXle 27, said axle '80 also having a vertical portion slidably and rotatably .mounted in a bracket 28 (Fig. 1) iiXe'd to the corner of the plow frame. lzivoted to the bracket 28 is a U-shaped lin-k 29 l whose upper end is pivotally connected to one end of a hand lever 30. The hand lever 30 is pivoted .at v31 to a bracket 32 held against vertical movement on axle 27 by a collar 33 fixed to said axle. This arrangement allows the axle to rotate relative to the bracket but prevents relative longitudinal movement between the axle and bracket. The bracket 32 has a toothed sector portion 34 with which cooperates a hand operated latch 35 carried Y bythe .lever 30. When the lever 30 is raised 95 from the position illustrated in Fig. 1, it swings on its pivot 32 whichl lowers link 29 and bracket 28 thereby lowering the frame of the plow relative to the wheel 24. When lever 30 is forced down the reverse action takes 100 place, that is, the plow frame is raised. The wheel 24 is positioned at an angle such as illustrated in order to prevent side slip of the plow under the side thrust caused by the plowing disks during operation.

The front furrow wheel 24 is moved angularly by rotative movement of the vertical portion of the axle 27 in the brackets 28 and 32 through an adjustable connection including a rod 40 (Fig. 2) connected at one end to an arm 41 fixed to the axle 27 and at its other end to adjustable clamps 42. The clamps 42 also grasp a second rod 43 that is pivoted tov an extension 44 of a clevis 45 pivoted at 46 to a draft bar 47. The draft bar 47 is pivoted at its rear end to a bracket 48 carried by the j main beam 10. At its front end the draft bar 47 has a member 49 fixed to it in spaced relation and pivoted between the member 49 and bar 47 is the front end of a second draft bar 50 which is pivoted at its rear end to a plate 51 (Fig. 3) fixed to the frame member 18. The draft bar 50 is made in two sections which are adjustably connected together at 52 so that the length of the bar may be varied.

The clevis 45 is adapted to be connected to a tractor and, when the tractor is turned, the clevisturns on its'pivot 46. This either pulls or pushes on the bars 43-40 depending on which way the tractor is turned but, in either event, the axle 27 is turned to swing the wheel 24 with the tractor.

The adjustability of the draft connection at 52 enables an operator to quickly vary the position of the hitch pivot 46 for various widths of tractors so that the front disk will have the proper amount of land toplow for each tractor t0 which the plow may be connected.

It will be observed, by reference to Figs. 1

and 3, that the plow frame is relatively high above the ground but that the draft bars are connected to the plow at points relatively close to the ground. This is advantageous in that the draft tends to lift the front end of the plow to thereby shift the weight of the frame onto the plowing disks where it is useful in causing them to penetrate the hard ground on which the plow is often used.

The land wheel 26 is j ournaled on a crank axle (Fig. 2) journaled in an angular bearing plate 61. This bearing plate is pivotally secured at 62 to the frame bar 21 and it has a series of holes 63 in its edge for the reception of a bolt 64 for securing the plate firmly in adjusted position on the frame bar 21, the holes being on an arc whose center is the pivot 62. This mounting enables the plate to be adjusted to different angles relative to the frame to angularly adjust the land wheel 26 so that it may run parallel with the direction in which the plow is being pulled.

The land wheel 26 can also be raised up and down to raise and lower the land side of the plow by means of a lever 65 connected rigidly to the axle as illustrated in Fig. 3. This lever has a hand operated latch operating over a toothed sector 67 fixed to the plate 61. By releasing the latch and swinging the lever the crank axle 60 may be swung to raise or lower the land wheel, the latch being used to hold the crank axle in the position to which it is swung. A spring 68 connected at one end to the upper end of lever 65 and at its other end toa bar 69 fixed to the frame, urges the lever in a direction to raise the plow and thus assist the operator in pulling the lever in a direction to raise the plow so as to make this operation easier than it otherwise would be.

The rear furrowiwheel 25 is journaled on an inclined axle 70 (Fig. 4) which has a curved portion 71 and a vertical portion 72, the vertical portion being slidably mounted in a bearing bracket 73 adjustably fixed to the plow frame in a manner that will be later described. The bracket 73 has a rearward extension 74 to whichispivoted a U- shaped link 75 that, in turn, is pivotally connected toone end of a hand lever 76. The hand lever is pivoted at 77 to a bracket 78, the lever being adapted to swing on the pivot 77. The bracket 78 is held against sliding movement on the vertical portion 72 ofthe rear axle by a collar 79 fixed to the axle. turn on its vertical axis independently of the bracket 7 8 but prevents relative longitudinal movement between the bracket and axle. The lever 76 carries a hand operated latch 80 operating over a toothed sector 81 formed integral with the bracket 78. l/Vhen the lever 76 is pushed downwardly from the position illustrated in Fig. 4 it pulls upward on the link 75 and raises the plow frame relative to the rear wheel 25. In this manner the rear end of the vframe may be raised andlowered as desired and held in adjusted position.

An important feature of the invention is the novel mounting of the rear furrow wheel that enables it to occupy the most efficient position for every angular position of the plow. Y

The bracket 73 in which the rear axle is journaled is adjustably secured to a rear frame member 90 having an arcuate portion 91. The center about which the radius swings-for obtaining the curvature of the portion 91 is the center of the last disk 16, that is, the righthand disk in Fig. 2. The frame member 90 has a shoulder 93 fitting the beam 10 and it is fixed thereto by the bolts 94 and 95. lt also has an overlapping extension 96 that fits over the top of the beam 10 to enable the parts to be more securely and accurately held together. It is further braced by a brace bar 97 connected at one end to the frame member 90, the other end of said brace bar being connectible either This construction permits the axle tol to the frame bar 2l as shown in Fig. 2 or to `Ue'kpla'inieil,.are@preferably :arrangedinganfgs the cross brace 23 as shown in F ig. 1.

The bracket 73 also has an extension 100 F igsland) said extension having an under 5 cut slot in it shaped to receive the arcuate portion 91 of the member 90. The extension has downwardly extending fingersV or flanges 101 iitting over the rib 92 of member 90. This extension also has a lower set of 0 flanges or lingers 102 (Fig. 5) that lit over a rib 103 on the lower side of the arcuate portion 91 of member 90. As will be clear from Fig. 4, the extension 100 can be adjusted along the arcuate portion 91 of bracket 90, L

end of the portion 91. The extension is held rigidly in adjusted position by bolts 105 adapted to pass through selected holes 106 in the arcuate portion 91 of bracket 90.

lr", when the parts are in the position of Figs. t and 5, slight pressure is put on lever 76, the Ll-shaped member 75 tends to pull up on bracket 73 with the axle 72 as a fulcrum. This tends to raise the bracket 73 relative to the frame member 90. Inasmuch as the major portion of the weight of the plow frame is carried by the plowing disks 16, the

bracket 73 can be moved upward without,

having to raise all the weight of the rear of the plow trame with the result that pressure on the bolts 105 is relieved so that they may be easily removed. After they have been removed, the bracket 73 can be moved along the arcuate rib 91 in either direction to get the proper adjustment. The most eliicient position of the rear furrow wheel is a position such that the rib on the circumference of the wheel runs straight ahead in the deepest part of the furrow. Heretofore, 0 the adjustments of the wheel have been about the vertical portion of the wheel axle, as, for example, the portion 72 of axis 20. Such adjust-ability does not permit the wheel to be accurately positioned except when the 5 plow is in one angular position. With the present construction, the wheel can be properly positioned for all angular positions of the plow because the center about which the adjustment takes place is the center of the last 0 disk 16. The wheel can, of course, also be turned about the axis of axle 72.

The rear wheel 25 is free to swing clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1l, or to the left when the plow is viewed from the rear, but its U movement is limiten in the opposite direction by a downwardly extending stop rod 110 lined in an extension 111 of the bracket 73. This construction allows the rear wheel to swing freely when the plow is being 9 turned to the left, as it is in turning at the ends of a iield, but limits the wheel to the proper angle when the plow is being drawn forward in plowing.

The turning and stirring of the soil is done 5 by the concave disks 16 which, as previously 1thrust bearing @of any vsuitable 4in ahousing 121I '.(Fig. 4')

the extension being entirely removable at one 1 'andthe/low hitch tends to throw :hut all connected :together so fthat `they will `rotate Y.in unison y fllhe angular Yposition nof these-:disks frelative 'to the direction of travel of the plow fcausesa heavy -sidetlifrust In "orderto 'take Scare of this thrust thewen'd of Lthe'di's'kshaft 15 engages the end of athrust shaft 12D (Fig. 4) that, in iturn, engages a type located rear frame bracket 90. I

The 2plow-embodiesia novelrcombination of 'l lparts'that are constructed of s'uchisizeand shape,l and arranged 'together in such `a way asf'to obtain unusually eliicien't opera-131011.40

.The iplowing disks have :a diameter of "approximately twenty :sin 'inches .and ithey faire 'spaced aboutten Vinches apart. Also, they are ipolished. .The large diameter fenables the disks to .be spaced farther:apartfwithout: '55 destroying the capacity ioi" the plow fto turn fall :the soil in :its path. Plows of this type :are often used "in wheat Ystubble Evwhere ithere isconsidera'ble straw Land Ztrash that tends to fclog'betweenzthe disks. The `wide spacing-"oiw Athe disks combined with their large diameter which :puts the 'disk shaft fhiglh. above Jthe .'ground, Vand the 'fact that the space ybeitween lthe disks :is `not 'filled lwith large fdisk lsupports vor -disk Scrapers but by nafrro'ws arms, Ypractically eliminates #all clogging.

The large diameter ldisks 'Ftend -to putthe plow frame relatively `high.abo'vethe ground where it iis out Aof Ithe way of obstructions fof this .frame Yon 'the Idisks to assist Tthem 'in penetrating. The polished disks en'ter the .ground easily and they scour well, the net result'of Zthewhole combination bei-ng anlunusually f eliicient, @easy working, inon#clogging^l'.1 o5

.plow that requires fa minimum -lof -dfra-t for pulling .it across a ield Y The width Tof cut may `be varied not -on'ly by adjusting t-he angleof the 'di-sk shall-t to therdirection of travel but fthe size Iorvwidth `2110 lof 'the plow :may -als'o `be varied by the ynovel Amounting to :the `disksviin groups' which permits the number of disksto Abe varied. For enample,vareferring toFig. 1, fthe i'th-ree left handidisks are shown disconnected from the Vv115 :beam 10, the fnelct three 'are attached/in a group (Fig. 2)., and the last five constitute a third grou-p attached `to beam 310. As shown, the plow is 'operating with eight disks, fthe bracket or supporting' the rear 'l20 urnow wheel being :connected te the beam 1.@ immediately :to the deft o"f 4the left .hand disk. If it is desired to `out la considerably wider path 'the bracket lis disconnectedl and moved out to theend of the beam 1i() andthe *125 set of disks shown at the left hand end of Fig. l is connected to the beam 10. This makes a plow with eleven disks instead of eight and enables considerably wider cuts to be made. At the same time, the widths of i130 .ataClled dief/75 'cut may be further varied by adjusting the angle of the eleven disk plow fin the same manner that the angle of the eight disk plow is varied, that is, by varying the angle of the disk shaft to the line of travel.

It is to be understood that the construction vshown is for the purpose of illustrationand that variations maybe kmade'in it without departing from the spiritand scope of the l invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A plow havinga frame, a plurality of disks mounted on said frame to rotate in unison about a commonaxis, a front furrow vU5 wheel, a land wheel and a rear furrow wheel for said frame, said rearfurrow wheel being i journaled on an axle having a vertical port-ion swiveled in a bearing, and a frame member havingan arcuate portion on which said y 20 bearing is adjustably mounted.

2. A plow having a frame, a plurality of plowing disks carried by said frame s0 as to rotate in unison, a rear furrow wheel for said plow, and means for connecting said rear furrow wheel to said frame so that it may be adjusted in a horizontal plane about a center substantially coincident with the center of the last plowing disk of said plow. 3. A plow having a frame, a plurality of l:i0 plowing disks mounted to rotate in unison l about a common axis locatedat an angle to the direction of travel of the plow, said frame having afront furrow wheel, a land wheel, and a rear furrow wheel, a bearing member in which the azle of the rear furrow wheel is journaled so as to swing about a vertical axis, said rear furrow wheel axle being free to swing about its aXis in one direction, but being limited against movement in theother 40 direction, and adjustable mounting means for connecting said bearing member to said frame so that the member may be adjusted in a horizontal plane to vary its angular position relative to the axis of the disks.

4. A plow having a frame, a plurality of plowing disks mounted to rotate in unison about a common aXis located at an angle to t-he direction of travel of the plow, said frame Vhaving a front furrow wheel, a land wheel and a rear furrow wheel, said rear furrow wheel being journaled on an aXle swiveled in a bearing member so as to swing about a vertical axis, and adjustable means for mounting said bearing member on said frame s so that said bearing member may be adjusted in a horizontal plane about a center substantially coincident with the center of the last plowing disk of said plow.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed .00 my name.

lJOI-IN P. SEAHOLM. 

